Potty Training Advice - Kansas City, MO

Yes, you probably could find some books, including some to read to him. But, it's going to basically tell you after they have had something to drink, sit him on the potty. First time he uses it, then you start standing him up, or daddy can do it. After he eats, do the same thing and maybe he'll poo-poo for you. His age is a good age, the older they get, the harder it is.

Okay, so I read all the responses, and just want to say that each child is different, and there is a BIG difference in potty training girls, and potty training boys. First off, I am a stay at home mom, and so my input is from someone who spends alot of time with thei children. I understand that alot of mothers work and that makes it more difficult than what I had. Second, the man that I LOVE to read is called T. Berry Brazelton. He has a little teeny book called Potty Training the Brazelton way. That's what really helped me. He lays it out step by step, week by week. My daughter had NO interest in potty training until the was about 3 years old. Now, we had EVERYONE telling us to potty train her, and at times I felt like an unfit mother because I wouldn't until I felt she was ready. So, shortly after she turned 3, she did it. And I guarantee you that she was potty trained in two days. We did it over a weekend. She has never had an accident, never had to wear diapers to bed, and has REALLY high self-esteem, as far as never hiding, holding it in, or any issues with potties. Now that's just my experience. But my point is, to try and wait as long as you can until they are ready, cause when you wait, it makes it much easier, it's not really like training as it is them willing to learn. I did the sticker chart as well and it worked great. I wouldn't advise the cookie or reward snack method. Secondly, sometimes when you're out and you know you want them to go potty and they don't need to, but you know that you won't be stopping anytime soon, one little trick that worked was letting them play with their hands in the water cause the feeling of the water makes them want to go potty. Good Luck!

I started around 17 months but didn't go hard core till around 22 months of age. Thankfully he went to a daycare that was a bit old fashion and didn't believe in pull-ups. We used real underwear, they didn't mind the mess and I didn't mind the laundry. We went potty before we left the house and when we arrived, also just remember if you are out shopping to stop and take potty breaks. I carried the gallon sized ziploc bags, for accident clothes and a few extra outfits, don't forget socks too =). Just prepare yourself for accidents especially in the carseat. It took my son a few days to catch on and he was down to maybe 1 or 2 accidents a week for two weeks and for a few months after that we would have a rare accident.

At home I liked using a timer to help remind us to try to go potty. It will take them awhile to used to reminding themselves to stop what they are doing to go potty. I used a sticker chart system, if he would remember to go all by himself, he got an extra sticker.

Overnight will take awhile my son is 5 and just now stays dry during the night but I still have to take drinks away before bedtime.

I got the cheapest potty chair, he really didn't use it that long, he liked the big potty with the seat insert.

Good Luck

One GREAT book I read was "Potty Training in One Day: A Guide for Today's Parents" by Narmin Parpia-- A LOT of great info in this book. Also, the BEST way to start potty training (in my opinion, of course) is the "naked" method- no pull-ups, no underwear, just bare booty!! This way, even as young as 17 months old, they can QUICKLY learn what happens when they pee, when they can clearly see and FEEL it when it happens. I can almost guarantee you that they are not going to want pee running down their legs more than once!! Also, keep the potty chair in your living room with you for the first day or two so that he has easy access to it. Buy the simplest potty chair you can find. Don't waste your money on the musical flushing chairs--not worth it. Once he's got the hang of it, you can put underwear on him and eventually move up to the big potty! Also, don't waste your money on pull-ups. They are more expensive than diapers so if you need him to wear something while he sleeps, just put a diaper on him. Oh, and one more thing-- Those potty seats that you see at Walmart and other similar stores with the Dora the Explorer designs on it..it's padded and kinda feels like it would be a comfortable seat for them to sit on-- I would NOT recommend them. They slide a little while they are on the toilet seat and my son was instantly scared of the toilet because of it. Instead, I bought an extremely cheap potty chair (the cheapest one I could find!), it came in three pieces: the seat (which doubled as a potty seat for the toilet, the bottom (which doubled as a stool for him to reach the toilet), and the bowl to catch the pee, etc. This seat was AWESOME. It was very secure when I set it on the toilet seat, so my son was comfortable getting on and off the toilet w/o help.
Well let me know if any of this helps!!

When my daughter started we went straight to underware. The pullups were like diapers to her and she did not care if she went in them or not. However, the underware were another story because she didnt like the feeling of having messy underware.

Also be VERY consistent when potty training. If you do it one way at one location try to do it that way everywhere. Have him go potty as soon as he gets up, before and after meals, before and after nap, before bath, etc. If you know there are certain times of the day when he goes try to stick to them so he can go potty. The biggest problem area is sleeping so make sure he tries before and after sleeping to prevent bedtime accidents. My daughter has only had one bedtime accident since she started potty training and that was because we forgot to have her go before bed that night.

Lastly, pay close attention to your child too. My daughter would be really quiet or go hide when she had to go potty. Then she would come tell us when it was too late. So watch for habits of needing to go so you can encourage using the potty.

Good luck and I hope these tips help.

My lil guy is 2 and we started potty training him about 18 months. I got some videos from the library that explained about potty training. They have one called potty training for dummies it's pretty good. My son didn't like the potty chair he likes the actual lil potty seat u put on the toilet. If u have any questions I'll try to answer them for u.

When my son started potty training we put the potty chair close, in the living room. I too went with the "naked" method, he treated the pull-up as a diaper.. and they are not cheap things to have to buy. He is now at the end of the training but tries to ask for a pull-up to go poopy. SO as soon as school is out and I am at home all day.. he will be naked again, hi will not go potty on the floor. He will go to the bathroom without problems mostly when he is naked. GOodluck!

As far as potty chairs go... stick with cheap. The ones that play songs and stuff are a waste, especially if your kid figures out that the thing is weight sensitive and just puts toys in it, YUCK! I got the cheapest one I could find at WalMart. I let my daughter get on it at 6 months, because SHE wanted to. She followed me everytime I would go that direction. I encouraged it with a note book and stickers that she picked out at the store. From that I allowed a sticker everytime she sat on the chair, and then later only when she would actually go. This worked really well. As for diapers, I like the pull-ups that are off brand at SAMS. They offer really good absorption if there is an accident, and they are less expensive than most. Don't get the off brand ones from WalMart, they are low quality. If you are thinking of springing for a nicer potty chair, I would suggest looking for one that allows storage of some bath toys and even books that he can read while he goes if he would like and make sure that you have a way he can get up and wash his hands, he will want to do that independently. If you switch to under wear, get the thicker kind, just incase, to start with. Potty training needs to be something that is committed to, so if he has to go when you are out make sure to stop somewhere to take him and make him try before you leave the house. The best way to start is to have shopping and errands out of the way and have 1-2 weeks that you can really work on it with him. If you can do that, you may be able to get it done all at once. Remember to really talk up how big he is and how proud you are, that goes a long ways.

Hi I am a 32 yr old stay at home mom of 4. 2 of my kids were potty trained by 16mths. I know sounds crazy. The other 2 were 2. We did not use potty chairs with any. They went right on the big toliet and used a stool. All the boys were trained to stand and pee just like daddy. They liked that. I also believe that if you put them into underwear it helps. they like feeling like a big kid and they know when they wet their pants. They always think they are dry when they are in pullups or diapers. You can also do a reward chart where they get a sticker everytime they go. Hope some of this helps you. J.